A long Road to Love: Outlaw Queen
by OnceFanChelsea
Summary: This is my take on the effect that loosing Daniel had on Regina, and the process that she went through to be able to accept love from her soulmate, Robin Hood. This story is a mix of fiction, and actual events from the TV show. This is my first attempt at writing a story, let alone fan fiction, so I hope you all enjoy it. I'd love to get feedback so I can improve my writing. Thanks
1. Broken

Chapter 1: Broken

"No! Daniel!"

Regina dropped to her knees as she knealed at the lifeless body of her love, holding him in her arms.

"I'm sorry Regina, but I did this for your own good". Cora said.

"What!?" Regina cried out, tears flooding down her face."How could killing the only person in my life that truly loves me be for my own good?!" she sobbed.

She gasped for air as she held Daniel, with tears falling freely down her face. It was Daniel's heart that Cora had ripped out and crushed, but at that moment Regina felt as if having her own heart torn out would be less painful than the way she felt now.

"Sweetheart….." Cora said stepping a little closer, the residue from Daniel's heart still fresh on her hands. "I know that this hurts you now. Believe me, it pains me to watch you in despair like this, but I have done what any good mother would do for their child. I saw you going down a path of destruction… and I did what I had to do to save you from it. You may not thank me for it now, but you will. When you become queen". Regina looked up, still holding Daniel's body.

" I don't want to be Queen! The only thing that i've ever wanted in my life is lying dead in my arms."

She looked back at Daniel and caressed his face with one hand, holding him close to her with the other. Regina couldn't even begin to think about what her mother had just said. Everything that she had ever wanted, ever loved, and ever hoped for in her future was now dead at the hands at the hands of her own mother. She wished that she could've gone with him. Daniel was her only hope of getting out of that place. He was the only person that saw someone beyond the future queen that her heartless mother was grooming her to be. No, when he looked at her, he just saw… Regina. Regina, the girl that loved to ride horses, and to run in the forrest, and to let her long hair flow in the wind. She had such a beautiful, free spirit… and Daniel had seen it. She had been so ready to give everything up that her mother was planning for her and run away with Daniel. Then she could be herself. She could finally be free, and for the first time in her life, she would be loved. Not for who people expected her to become, but for the woman she already was. But the possibility of that future was just destroyed. Closing her eyes and still sobbing, Regina rested her head on Daniel's chest and intertwined her fingers with his. She weakly opened her red eyes to look at her left had that was holding his. On it, was the ring that he had given her just moments before, when he promised her a future that would ultimately cost him his life. She closed her eyes again and sobbed even harder as she buried her face in his chest.

"Oh God Regina, pull yourself together." Cora snapped. "If only you could see your future as I do you wouldn't be lying here crying over some stable boy. Now I've allowed you long enough to grieve over this boy. Now get up and return with me to the castle. You have a big day coming up tomorrow. Tomorrow you'll pick out your wedding dress."

Regina suddenly felt rage in her heart towards her mother and shot her a look of anger.

"I am NOT marrying the king" she snapped as she turned back to Daniel.

Cora's blood boiled with anger as she watched her daughter blatantly disobey her, something that she had NEVER done before.

"Now enough of this!" Cora spat as she raised her hand and Daniel's body was ripped from Regina's arms and flew threw the air, crashing into a pile of hay. "Daniel!" Regina cried and she quickly got up to retrieve his body.

"NO, ENOUGH!" Cora yelled, outraged.

She quickly swiped her hand through the air and barrier was put up between Regina and the body of her true love. The despair that Regina felt was quickly turned into rage towards her mother as she crashed into the barrier that was put up. Before Regina could whip around to face her mother, Cora was already in front of her, standing so close that their noses were almost touching. She grabbed her daughter's arm, looking at her with rage and seriousness flickering in her eyes. Regina felt her mother's eyes burn straight through her, as they always did. Cora squinted her eyes and lowered her head.

"Now Regina, whether you like it or not, you are to become royalty in a couple of days. I will NOT have have you crying and sobbing over some stable boy." Cora said.

Cora flicked her wrist and a handkerchief appeared in her hand.

"Now… wipe those pathetic looking eyes and look the way a future queen is supposed to look".Cora glanced over Regina's shoulder at Daniel's body and winced in disgust."I can't believe you even considered such a life. You'll thank me for this later darling." Cora looked back at Regina with 'loving' eyes, looking for a response from her daughter, but she got none.

Regina's face was completely blank. She just stared at the hay stacks with a dazed look in here eyes. Regina's whole body felt numb.

"Regina, sweetheart…" Cora said gently.

Regina gave no response. Cora looked into Regina's eyes, but she saw nothing there. There were no more tears. No more emotions. Not even anger. There was simply…. nothing there. Here eyes appeared as lifeless as Daniel's. That was certainly fitting, for although Regina was still alive, inside, everything in her felt as if she was dead.

"Regina?"… Cora said calmly for the last time, trying not to loose her patience with her again.

She still got no response. Just a blank stare.

"REGINA!" Cora said sharply, this time roughly grabbing Regina's arm.

Regina shook as if she had been snapped out a hypnosis. She blinked, and then turned to face her mother, this time, with her eyes burning with only one emotion. Rage.

"What!" Regina snapped.

Her eyes were squinted, flickering for the first time with the hatred and ruthlessness that would become the notorious stare of the Evil Queen. Cora was at first surprised by the stare, but she was not easily intimidated, especially after the emotion that Regina had just displayed after she ripped Daniel's heart out. Two could play at that game. Cora stepped even closer to Regina, and leaned in, returning the same stare that her daughter was giving her.

"I'm only going to say this to you….. one time…" Cora said.

Regina squinted at her mother. They stood so close that she could feel her breath, and she felt an unfamiliar tingling sensation pulsating through her finger tips that seemed to grow more intense as her rage towards her mother grew.

Cora continued.." Love…..makes you weak. It is not something that is meant for us. Us, who are powerful. Us who are strong…."

Cora grabbed both of Regina's wrists in her hands and looked her in the eyes.

"….. You.. my daughter, will NOT be weak and vulnerable like the rest of the pathetic peasants that live in this kingdom. No. You're better that that, and you will BE better than that. Are you listening to me?"

Cora once again searched her daughter's eyes for some sort of indication that she was getting through to her. Regina couldn't stand the sight of her mother at this point, but for reason, some part of her took in her mother's words. Cora could see that, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly as she continued.

"Now, do you realize what a ridiculous display you just put on for some stable boy?"

Cora could feel Regina tense up in her grasp as she once again mentioned Daniel., so she decided to take a different route. Cora kept a tight hold onto one of Regina's arms, as she brought her right hand to Regina's chest.

" Do you see the pain that you feel in you heart right now?"Cora said.

Regina's eyes began to fill with tears, but she refused to let them fall. It was the worst pain that she had ever felt in her life. It was like a dagger had been shoved through her heart, and twisted 100 times over. Cora noticed Regina's reaction, and continued.

"Well, that type of pain can only be caused by one thing…. Love…"

Regina fought with all her might not to let the tears fall, but the pain that she felt from her mother's words was almost unbearable. Regina had experienced love for the first time, and now she was experiencing the agony and devastation of loosing it. She couldn't understand how it could hurt so much to loose someone that she had only known for a little over a year, even if she had fallen in love with him. Just thinking about it made Regina clench her teeth hard and look up with watery eyes just to try to keep the tears in. Her face was completely red from all of the pain and emotion she felt. God, she wished the pain would go away, or at least let up. Just a little bit.

Cora continued. ..." Regina… When you love someone, that person becomes your weakness. When your enemies discover that you love someone, they'll stop at nothing to hurt them, or even kill them, just to hurt you…."

She put her finger under Regina's chin to lift her head up to face her.

"Regina, listen to me. When you allow yourself to love someone, you INVITE the pain into your heart that you're feeling right now. It doesn't feel good does it?"

Regina looked at her feet, and then glanced over her mother's shoulder to look at Daniel. Her eyes started to burn at the sight of him. She looked back at her feet and she could no longer hold in the tears. They began to flow down her face and she looked back at her mother and simply replied,

"No".

She sobbed as the tears continued to fall. There was no use in trying to stop them now. Regina's body began to tremble. Her mother was starting to get through to her, and Regina knew that things weren't good when her mother was making sense.

"Then i'm going to tell you how you can prevent yourself from ever experiencing this type of pain again." Cora said.

Regina's eyes flickered. She was so eager to hear the secret that her mother held that could prevent her from ever feeling the agony that she was feeling ever again.

"How can I stop the pain mother?" Regina said desperately, feeling her heart now throbbing.

Cora's facial expression changed, from loving mother, to cold a sorceress. She took the hand that she had resting on Regina's chest and pushed it in. Regina's eyes widened as she shrieked out in pain. After a few seconds, Cora pulled back, and in in her cold hands, she held Regina's heart.

"Mother!…." Regina said, looking horrified that her mother had just torn her own daughter's heart out.

Cora held up the hand that was not holding Regina's heart, as to tell her to stop speaking.

" What do you feel?" Cora asked, looking at Regina with a smirk on her face.

Regina looked down, her eyes bewildered…..and then she realized. She…. felt better. The agony, the pain, the intense sadness that she felt only a few seconds ago was…. gone. Reina looked up at her mother, her eyes wide.

"I feel… nothing" Regina said as she looked at Daniel again.

She almost felt guilty about being able to look at his body and not feel the intense love that had grown to feel for him over the past year. But… then agin. Daniel was dead, and he was never coming back. There was no need for her to hold on to the pain of loosing him. She thought about the pain that she'd previously felt, and she shuddered at the thought. But… She couldn't just let go of the love that she felt for him. The pain that she felt from loosing him was almost unbearable, yes….. but the joy and the love that she had felt with him when he was alive was equally intense. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she had ever stopped loving him. Daniel was the only person that truly understood her, and loved her for who she really was, and she would love him for that, whether he was dead or alive. In her eyes, love was something to be earned, and Daniel had more than earned her love for a lifetime. Cora watched Regina as she was lost in her thoughts, waiting for her to come out of them as she still held her heart in her hands. Regina went back and forth about it in her mind, and she decided that her heart would remain out of her chest… while she interacted with others in the daytime. But at night, when she was alone and lied in her bed chamber, she would return her heart it's rightful place in her chest, and allow both the pain that she felt from loosing Daniel, and the depth of the love the she felt for him, to gently lull her to sleep every night.

"I've made a decision", Regina said.

A look of satisfaction graced over Cora's face as she could see from the regal tone of voice that Regina now spoke in, that she had gotten what she wanted. Royalty… which meant Power.

"You were right mother. Love is weakness, and I can never be the Queen that I am destined to be if I allow frivolous distractions to get in my way." Regina said.

Even without her heart, Regina felt a pang in her chest from calling Daniel a frivolous distraction. But she quickly cast the emotion aside. Something that she would get used to doing, and eventually become very good at. Cora had a full blown smile on her face for the first time during this interaction. She then spoke.

"Regina, I am so happy that you finally came to see it my way. I love you so much sweetheart, and I know that you'll make a great Queen."

Regina smirked, trying to give her mother a smile.

"Thank you mother. Now, can I have my heart?" Regina said holding her hand out.

Cora looked into Regina's eyes with a skeptical look on her face, searching them for some possibility of deception, but she saw none. So she smiled.

"Of course sweetheart. Keep it somewhere safe.", Cora said looking at Regina with a dead serious face.

Regina nodded, taking the heart. Cora spoke again, this time in a disgustingly cheerful voice, satisfied with the outcome of the events that just occurred. She faced towards the exit of the stable.

" Now, shall we return to the castle so we can discuss our…. your wedding plans?" Cora said.

She said it as a question, but it was more of a statement.

" Yes mother", Regina replied.

Cora smiled and began to walk towards the exit. Regina slowly followed behind her, and as she saw Cora exit through the door frame into the night, Regina looked back at Daniel, and she looked at her heart that was glowing in her hand. She looked at the exit to make sure that her mother wasn't watching her. When she saw that Cora was still walking towards the castle, she quickly pushed he heart into her chest, and almost dropped to her knees from the pain and sorrow that immediately rushed through her entire body. Her eyes were once again wet, but she knew that she didn't have much time before Cora noticed that she wasn't behind her. Regina stood up straight over her Daniel's body and waved her hand over it in a half circle. Daniel's body immediately began to glow a purple glow. Regina looked at him for a few more moments, and placed her hand on his chest and leaned to whisper in his ear.

"I love you Daniel. No matter where this path that mother has me on takes me, I'll always love you with all my heart. You saw me when know one else did, and for that, I'll be forever grateful."

She looked at his face lovingly, and kissed his lips one last time. She let a tear fall down her face, and she finally stood up again. Regina brought her hand to her chest, trying to remember how exactly her mother did it. She felt her hand sink through and felt the pain of ripping her own heart out. She pulled it and looked at it, not knowing that this was the last time that she would see it completely red. Pure. At that moment, her facial expression changed, as she thought about the life that she had ahead of her. She wiped her face with her hands, and a new emotion flickered through the eyes that sorrow once shown through. This… was a look of ruthlessness. One of power, of confidence, and most of all, hatred. Regina never wanted this life, but now that it had been practically shoved down her throat, she would live it. She then made a decision. If a ruthless and powerful queen was what her mother wanted, then that was exactly what she would get. Regina took one last look at Daniel's body and snapped her fingers. Daniel's body disappeared into thin air. Regina looked without emotion at the empty hay stack where his body was, and she heard her mother calling her.

"Regina, are you coming dear?" Cora called.

Regina turned away from the haystack and replied,

"Yes mother", in the sweetest, most sarcastic voice that she could muster up.

She winced as she walked towards the exit. She even walked with a new attitude. When outside, Regina turned to close the doors of the stable. She took one more look inside, and whispered,

" Goodbye Daniel."

Although she didn't say it, that goodbye was not just meant for Daniel, but for herself as well. Regina had given her whole self to Daniel, and after the pain that she experienced that night, she made up her mind that the woman, the Regina that only HE had, would die with him. If this was what loosing someone you loved felt like, she didn't want anything to do with love. But she did have one last mission to accomplish in that department. She would become the Queen that her mother wanted her to be, but there was no way in the world that she was going to let those who were responsible for Daniel's death just….. live. No, as her last homage to him, she would spend the rest of her life making sure that she got revenge on EVERY person that had a part in his death. Starting with….. Snow White.


	2. White as Snow

This Chapter was inspired by the episode of OUAT when Regina was seen interacting with Snow White as her Step-Mother. It was the scene when Regina imagined herself telling Snow what revealing her and Daniel's secret had caused, and then choking her. Here is my perspective on what could've been going through her head during that scene .

Chapter 2: White as Snow

What a beautiful little girl. So, cheerful and care free. So Kind, so pure, and some would even say... INNOCENT. Regina made a face of disgust as the thought of Snow White being perceived as innocent crossed her mind while she brushed the little girl's hair. Innocent. Innocent? Regina snickered to herself while detangling the nots from Snow's hair with a comb. Innocent people didn't going around telling other people's secrets. Innocent people didn't go around breaking people's trust, and innocent people didn't have the blood of her true love on their hands. Innocent? 'I think not', Regina thought. She had a 'matter of factly' look on her face. Sure, Snow was only a little girl, but she was surely old enough to understand the simple concept of how to keep a secret. It was simple. Keep your mouth shut. Regina winced at the thought of just how much the telling of that secret had cost her. It had been nearly 3 weeks since her mother killed Daniel, and the image of her mother's hand in his chest with his eyes widened in pain still haunted her every time she was alone. Every night, the image of her lying over Daniel's lifeless body burned in her mind.

She hit a snag in Snow's hair with the comb, and she paused and looked the hand that she held the comb in. She glanced at it, and at the enormous ring that was sparkling on her forefinger. The sight of it made Regina's stomach turn. The ring that Daniel had given her was so much more simple. It had just been a simple gold band, but it meant so much more to her than the huge diamond that had been forcefully placed on her finger. Regina was so relieved that Cora never saw the ring that Daniel had given her. If she had, there would be no way that she would've allowed her to keep it. Thinking about it made Regina's look of disgust turn into a small smile. Daniel had wanted to marry her. He wanted her to run away with him and take her away from her mother's controlling grasp. Although they'd only had a few minutes to spend together as an engaged couple, both of them had already talked about what their future together would hold. They were going take 2 horses from the stable, and leave in the middle of the night. The would ride as fast, and for as long as they could without looking back, in efforts to get as far away from the castle as they possibly could. They would then find a village, and hopefully find a kind family that would be nice enough to allow them to stay in their home. At least until Daniel was able to find a job, and could afford a place of their own. Regina didn't want a big house, although Daniel promised her that he would buy the best house that money could buy. But Regina reassured him. Money, Big Homes, Diamonds…..none of them meant anything to her. She would have been satisfied with nothing but their 2 horses, and a haystack to sleep on just as long as it was his arms that were around her every night. Daniel had made her feel so happy, and so loved. Nothing that anyone could ever promise her would be enough to make her leave him. What they had was nothing short of pure. It was true love at it's best. Regina was pulled out of her thoughts as she reached another snag in Snow's hair and the little girl shrieked out in pain.

"Oooouchhh!, you're hurting me mother!" Snow yelled.

Regina winced again in irritation from hearing Snow call her mother. Sure, she was married to the king, but she would never be this little girl's mother. Yes, she had saved her life less than a year ago, but that didn't mean that she cared enough for her to be her MOTHER. Of course she had saved her. Any decent human being would have saved a cute little 10 year old girl who was screaming for her life on an uncontrollable horse. She wasn't heartless…. at least, she wasn't then. However, at this point in time, Regina thought about what the result of that good deed was and she wished that she had just let that horse take the little girl away to wherever it was headed. If she hadn't been trying to be such a good samaritan, she wouldn't be sitting in this prison, (or castle. However you want to see it). She wouldn't be married to the horrible king that had forced himself on her every night, and Daniel wouldn't be dead. Because of that one good deed, the hope of a happy future was ripped completely away from Regina. And she was supposed to be this girl's loving MOTHER? 'I think not', Regina thought. It would practically be a slap in Daniel's face for her to love and nurture the same little girl that had told their secret, which resulted in his murder, and the instant ending of their future together. No. She would never be a mother to this little girl. She would never care for her, and she would certainly never love her. Cora had never shown Regina a mother's love. She had only ever shown her discipline and harshness. The closest that Regina had ever gotten to knowing what true love is, was the love that radiated through her when she was with Daniel.

'Daniel', Regina thought as her eyes became heavy with tears.

Thinking of Daniel again, Regina didn't even notice that she was beginning to comb Snow's hair even harder. She was no longer carefully detangling the nots from the 'perfect' little girl's hair, but she was now unknowingly (but angrily) raking through it. Regina felt her face become hot as her thoughts went back to Snow White being the cause of her future of unhappiness.

"Ouuuuchhh!" Snow cried out again. "Mommy, please. You're hurting me. Can you please comb it a little gentler?".

Snow's eyes were now filled with tears from the knot that felt like Regina had just combed out a fist full of hair in just one stroke. Regina glanced in the mirror at herself and Snow. Her face held a smirk, which she intended to appear as a smile.

"I'm sorry dear. But look, it appears that you're all done. Just in time for the ball", Regina said.

Snow's teary face almost instantly turned into a smile as she thought about the night ahead of her. This would be her first ball, and more importantly, the first ball that she would attend with her new mother. She loved Regina, and she was so excited that the sweet woman that had saved her life was going to be her new mom. She couldn't have been happier. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she spoke.

"Thank you so much mother. It looks beaaaaauuutiful." Snow said as she looked in the mirror and ran her fingers through her long, freshly done hair.

She especially loved the white and light blue ribbons that her mother had put in her hair to match her blue dress and white shoes. She turned back to Regina again, happiness radiating through her.

"Aren't you excited about the ball mother?" Snow was grinning from ear to ear with a disturbing twinkle in her eye.

Regina felt sudden urge to slap Snow after hearing her question.

She wanted to tell her, 'No you stupid girl. I am not excited about the ball. Why would I be excited about a ball that will be celebrating my marriage to man that I hate, and by the way, barely even know. Annnnd celebrating my adoption of a little girl that I never even wanted. The same little girl that is responsible for the murder of the only person in my life that has ever truly loved and made me happy. This ball will also be an excuse for your disgusting father to get drunk, and violate me in our bed chamber until he's satisfied.'

Regina shuttered at the thought of what would happen to her that night when the king walks into their bed chamber. No. She was CERTAINLY not excited about the ball.

"Yes sweetheart", Regina said with the most fake smile she could put on. "I'm very excited about the ball".

Snow looked at her mother with a smile, satisfaction in her eyes.

"I'm so happy", Snow said. "Tonight will be great. I just know it".

With that, Snow skipped away to her room, grinning from ear to ear with her long curls bouncing against her back. When she was gone, Regina let out a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. It took everything that she had in those moments not to tell Snow what she had done to Daniel, and then choke the life out of her. She studied her features in the mirror. It had only been 3 weeks since Daniel had been killed and she was forced to marry Snow's father, but she could already tell by the lines on her face and the dullness in her eyes that she had aged. This false marriage, and this life was surely taking it's toll on Regina. She was tired…. all the time. Many people would find it hard to believe that the queen could ever be tired. She was the queen. She had maids, and butlers, and servants who would come at the snap of her fingers to do anything she pleased. She didn't have to raise a finger to do any work at all. That's what it meant to be royalty. But despite what many people probably preconceived about royals, Regina felt more tired than she had ever felt in her life. Being constantly violated by a man that she didn't love, having to look daily into the face of the girl that was responsible for the death of her true love, and being constantly bombarded with the the expectations that her mother had for her to make it appear like she was happy, was all exhausting. Regina stepped closer to look at her hair. Was… was that a grey hair starting to form? Regina's eyes widened as she got as close to the mirror as she could while holding the strand of hair up to her face.

This was all wearing her down way too much. She wan't sure how long she could handle this for. How long could she keep up this charade of smiling and being the Kings wonderful new wife when everyday, she was slowly dying inside. The Regina that held Daniel near when he was still alive had died that day with him in the stable, but with all that was happening to her in this castle, especially with her 'relationship' with the king, she could even feel the new Regina that she was becoming beginning to loose her will to live. Even without her heart beating in her chest, it was too much to bear. Her mind drifted to what the king would have in store for her that night. She let out a hard breath as tears began to flow from her eyes. She brought a hand to her stomach, and the other leaned on the dresser as she made an attempt to hold herself up. She had been pure before she was forced to wed the king. Although she longed for intimacy with Daniel that was stronger than their kisses and whispers of love, they both knew that the consequences of Cora catching them would most likely be deadly. So instead of having her first physically intimate encounter with the man that she loved, it was with an arrogant, forceful man that had not even considered the fact that she might be afraid on their wedding night. It never even crossed his mind that she reason that she was trembling as he kissed her, was not out of her excitement and anticipation for what was to come, but it was out of terror. Cora didn't even have the decency to prepare Regina for what would occur on her wedding night. No.

All she told her was to "smile, and keep the king happy".

That was her mother's advice to her. That was all that she had to say. Just thinking about it caused Regina to tremble again, just as she had that night. That night had been both physically, and mentally painful. She thought back to how she heard the king constantly whispering the name of his first wife against her shoulder as he took the only innocence that she had left. Yes she had already hated him, but it felt like a kick in the stomach to Regina to be feeling so much pain, and for him to clearly not even be acknowledging that it was her body that he was violating. Regina grasped her face with her hands, trying as hard as she could to push the memories of that horrible night out of her mind. If this is what having such a memory felt like when her heart wasn't even in her body, she told herself that she would never put it back in again. She was sure that her heart would give out at the intensity of that type of pain. If she would ever put it back in, it would be for one reason, and for one reason only. To remember Daniel, and to feel the love again that she still felt for him. If only for a few seconds, feeling her love for Daniel would momentarily ease the pain. Regina tried as hard as she could to pull herself out of the thoughts that she was having of the king and Snow. Just as she had begun wiping the remaining tears from her face, she heard someone come in the room.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" said the small voice of a woman.

Regina turned around and saw that it was Rose, one of her servants.

"I've come with the message that the king will be expecting you downstairs in the ballroom in 5 minutes, but it appears that you may need more time. Have…..have you been crying?" Rose asked with a genuinely concerned look on her face.

Although it appeared to Regina that everyone in the castle was oblivious to the fact that she was miserable, Rose had taken notice. She had noticed that for some reason, whenever she found Regina to let her know that the king was currently waiting for her in their bed chamber, a quick flicker of what appeared to be fear would show in the queen's eyes. She also noticed the wince that Regina tried to pass off as a smile whenever Snow would call her, mother. She could tell that Regina was unhappy, but what was she to do about it? She was nothing but a servant, and it was not her place to get into the personal matters of the people that she served. Especially those of the royal family. She once again studied the queen's face. It was clear that she did NOT want to go to this ball. Regina took a deep breath and put on the fake smile that she was beginning to get used to putting on.

"No Rose, more time won't be necessary. I was just…...weeping with joy thinking about how happy I am to be attending my first ball as queen. Being the king's wife, and being Snow's new mother, it has all just made me so…happy".

Happy. Regina's eyes stared off behind Rose in almost an empty daze as she said the word. The word felt odd coming from her lips. Regina felt so disconnected from that word as she was convinced that happiness was something that she would never experience again for the rest of her days. Her chance at happiness lied dead with Daniel in his grave.

"Are you sure your majesty?" Rose asked, noticing the look in the queen's eyes.

The expression on Regina's face told a completely different story than the answer that she had just given her. However, it wasn't her place to question the queen.

"Alright. Shall I inform him that you'll be right down?" Rose asked.

Regina looked at Rose again, her eyes heavy with sorrow.

"Yes. I'll be right down.", Regina replied trying to sound happy.

Rose smiled at Regina and left the room. She felt terrible about not comforting the clearly distressed queen, but she didn't know what to say. So she simply walked down the long hallway and made her way to the ballroom to inform the king that his queen would be arriving to the ball shortly. When Rose was gone, Regina turned back around to face herself in the mirror. She took in a deep breath as she looked at herself in the beautiful gown that she wore. It had a high cut hiding her chest, but it was tight fitting around her waist. The bottom of her dress was enormous in width, and way too flashy for her simple taste. She was covered from head to toe in diamonds, from the long sparkling earrings that dangled from her ears, to the enormous necklace and diamond bracelets on her wrists. She looked up at her face. She had to try to appear happy before she walked into the ballroom. She had to mask the sadness and the desperation that radiated through her eyes. Her mother would be so proud. So proud to see her daughter standing in such a beautiful gown, covered in expensive jewelry, and getting ready to attend her first ball as the queen. Most of all, she would be so proud to see Regina pushing aside the agony and sadness that she felt, to behave more maturely and to mask it, just as she had to do when she was Regina's age.

Regina could hear her mother's words echoing through her mind. 'Love will cause you nothing but pain and sorrow, but power… power will get you everything that you've dreamed of.' Regina thought about her mother's words as she took a few more seconds to look at her reflection in the mirror.

"Love is weakness. Power is everything", Regina recited to herself.

And with that, Regina took a deep breath and turned around towards the enormous doors of her room. She began to walk down the hallway, and stopped when she reached the top of the staircase of the ballroom. As she looked down at her 'loyal' subjects, and then at the king and his daughter, she knew that it was time for her to stop feeling sorry for herself. It was time for her to put on the face of the woman that she was now destined to be. Never again would she put on the face of the desperate, heartbroken Regina, but she would put on a new face. ( Or a new mask). The face….. Of a Queen.


End file.
